1. Field of the Disclosure
The invention lays in the field of authentication systems as defined in the preamble of the claims.
2. Related Art
From the prior art electronic authentication media, e.g. in the form of a smart card or build in a key are known. These authentication media in general comprise an interface to communicate with a read write unit (from now on reader) and a memory means to store authentication data. The authentication media may further comprise a memory to hold application data, e.g. information about credits for a certain application, and a microprocessor or logic to process authentication, application or other data.
From the same applicant as of this patent application a hierarchical authentication system is known by which the making of different authentication media is possible by the use of a reader and at least one master authentication media comprising master authentication data. In a first step at least one authentication rule is stored in the reader in that the reader is interconnected to a programming unit, e.g. a Personal Computer (PC) acting as a host.
WO97/34265 of the applicant discloses a system with different media and read write units associated with the media. The system is directed to a hierarchical authorization system with system or authorization rules defining the belonging to the systems and maintaining its integrity. Within the system, a media (as a slave) has to be generated and/or initialized by means of an authorization media (as the master) and a authorization read write unit. An identification media may be initialized with several applications from independent application providers respectively users. Each application is identifiable by a stamp representing the hierarchical level of the authorization system and the independent user. The system further allows to launch associated read write units by initializing said read write unit with launch data by means of a special launch media. The launch data define to what extent a read write unit is allowed to process a media corresponding to said launch data respectively with a corresponding stamp.
WO01/41087 of Orga Kartensystem GmbH discloses a method for the initialization or personalization of smart cards. To increase the throughput of an initialization or personalization device a first initialization data set corresponding to a first function for a first smart card is transferred from a host into the memory of the initialization or personalization device and store therein. Afterwards the first initialization data set can by used to initialize a second smart card with the first function using the first initialization data set. The method allows to initialize a plurality of smart cards with the first function without the need for a repetitive transfer of the first initialization data set from the host to the initialization or personalization device when initializing said plurality of smart cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,549B2 of International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) discloses a method for the personalization of smart cards based on virtual smart cards containing all data objects required to personalize said (real) smart cards. The logical file structure and the data objects of the virtual smart cards are being generated at a first site by a control program. The control program handles, defines or controls the security features of the smart cards and enables a secure data exchange with a personalization program at a second site. By means of the personalization program, smart cards pre-initialized with the same logical file structure as the virtual smart cards are personalized with the data objects defined for the corresponding or associated virtual smart cads.
WO2005/059723A1 of Motorola Inc. discloses a method of programming a second security token (security medium) holding a second set of privileges (rights) using data of a first set of privileges stored in a first security token without the necessity to involve a third party. When presenting the first security token to a device for programming security tokens, privileges derived from the first set of privileges, e.g. a sub-set or new user privileges, are presented to the user of the first security token. Out of said privileges, the user selects the second set of privileges to be assigned to the second security token and to be programmed by said device.
EP1389752A2 of Activcard Ireland Limited discloses a system for privilege (right) delegation from a first security token (security medium) with privileges and associated control attributes to a data processing unit, e.g. a second security token or a computer. The data processing unit has the ability to store and use the delegated privileges to perform data exchange with the first security token and/or a second data processing unit. The attributes associated with the privileges handled respectively executed by the data processing unit define how to configure the delegated privileges, including adherence to security policies or privilege splitting.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,136 of Toppan Moore Company, Ltd., shows a smart card reader with two contactors for smart cards. The access to the content of the smart cards is allowed only when two smart cards are inserted into the contactors and verification or comparison of the codes or other privileges of the two smart cards result in coincidence.
There are also authentication media known which allow to store on the level of a user different authentication data and/or application data within the same authentication media. E.g. in a company an authentication media is handed out to each employee (user) allowing access to one or several restricted areas based on one or several set of specific authentication data stored on the authentication media. The authentication media may store further application data on user level, e.g. regarding working hours or credit information for the coffee machine and the cafeteria. A further example is an application where several parties would like to offer a personalized authentication media. E.g. in a ski resort different application providers such as hotels, the operator of the local ski lifts, the operator of the local railway and the operator of the indoor swimming pool would like to bring out (personalize) in collaboration with the tourist office a personalized tourist card in form of an authentication media for the guests of the ski resort such that the guests can utilize the available facilities by the authentication media in a simplified manner. The authentication media therefore are in general capable to store different set of authentication data and/or different set of credit information and/or different set of personal data.
The making of authentication media for certain applications is relatively cumbersome due to the reason that for the making of the authentication media all different systems of the providers have to be interconnected to each other at the same time such that the information (e.g. different application data, authentication rules) can be stored simultaneously. Therefore an independent and effective making of an authentication media is not possible.
Authentication systems as known of the prior art often suffer the disadvantage that their operability is cumbersome to achieve a sufficient level of security or they are relatively easily to defeat but bear significant security problems, e.g. due to a wire connection between a reader and a host which can be relatively easily be eavesdropped. A further disadvantage consists in that authentication systems known from prior art are often difficult to install because a lot of wiring is necessary.